My Old Friend

Old Friend

Jerry

The picture is of our late old friend, Jerry. As a youngster, he moved out of his parental house to live in an appartement with his young lady, Cynthia. When I met Cynthia, Jerry must have been around 8 years old. At first, he was cautious of me. Probably used to living on his own with only one other human to care for him. As time went by, he accepted me and got more bold as well. One day, we were having sateh for dinner and he grabbed my skewer from the table while I wasn’t looking for a moment. A nice meal scored.

Taris

At one time, we introduced a little kitten to Jerry named Taris. The asylum had around 10-15 kittens, all running around and over us while we sat on the floor. I spotted one little kitten being scared and out of the group, under a cabinet. I got her out and she never left us. She didn’t even want to be in transporter in the car, just sat on Cynthia’s lap while watching me. Sometime after Jerry and Taris were properly introduced (and getting alone really good) we moved to our first own house and consequently to another one after that. Taris is very lovable and we always get the idea that she’s still grateful for pulling her out in the light and taking her with us.

Jerry and Taris

The inevitable

You always hear stories of cats crawling somewhere to die out of sight and he was no exception. One day, he didn’t come to the door. He didn’t respond to the sound of treats and we searched all over the house. After quite some searching, I found him in the place you would not think to look. He was in the litterbox, motionless after 15 years of a full life..
Jerry was moved from the litterbox onto a blanket in a cat-transporter. The vet asked if we would want him to be cremated or destructed. I hated the word destructed for the companion that had given us so much joy, laughs and love over the years, as did Cynthia. Cremation it was, with a thoughtful card send to us afterwards. To this day, Taris still refuses to enter the cat-transporter in question.

Taris and Cay

A new companion

After a while (I think around 2 years) and deliberation, we agreed on getting a new playmate for Taris from a foundation that nurses motherless kittens. A bright and playful Cay joined our home. Taris didn’t like it at first, Jerry was a very good friend to her and this heap of fuzz was making a lot more noise too. Eventually, she accepted Cay being around. Nowadays, they sometimes cuddle and wash each other, a sign of respect and acceptance.

We still keep a reminder of our first cat in the form of a nice framed picture on the wall next to my computer.
I am typing this reminiscent of the times Jerry did funny unexpected stuff, made head bumps, one time peed on my foot while I was sleeping (prelude to kidney problems) and had a distinct taste for old cheeses, like me.

Meanwhile, Cay seems to have some of Jerry’s more strange habits, like licking plastic. Maybe our old friend lives on for part in our newer ones, for who we will care at least a much as we did for Jerry.